


My Mission

by AvenGrey73



Category: Original Work
Genre: A little bit of angst, Cupid - Freeform, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Romance, Short Story, True Love, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 00:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8307604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvenGrey73/pseuds/AvenGrey73
Summary: Danny, a cupid, is working on Valentine's Day and he's looking for the next target to shoot. (Sorry, lame summary. I don't know how to describe how awesome I think Danny is. )





	

**Author's Note:**

> This short story is actually based off of a Valentine's Day writing I did back in elementary school, but on a whim, I tried to do an updated version of it.

I flipped the safety switch on my pistol, the metal gleaming golden as I stared out from my perch in the trees. The badge at my chest pinned to my suit flashed my name: DANNY, in stupidly curly letters that made it hard to read. My eyes tracked the movement of the couple, taking in the shy smiles, the barely touching hands. It was a lovely day in the park for this time in February, though on my part, I hated this time of year most of all. Absently my hands tightened on the handle of my pistol and slowly I raised it towards the young woman. The guy next to her had a face that was pockmarked unfortunately. His eyes kept returning to stare into her eyes and he often smiled faintly, laughing at her words. His leg was bouncing absently and every so often he paused, holding his breath as if he wanted to say something to her then quickly exhaling softly. I was growing bored of waiting, of watching to see if anything would happen. Adjusting my aim slightly, I checked to see if the young woman's heart was in my sights. A slight intake of breath, I squeezed the trigger, the recoil making it jerk in my hands. The bullet flew across, hitting the target perfectly. Her eyes widened suddenly as she looked at the young man next to her and, though she was laughing earlier, now she was grinning, putting her hand on the young man's shoulder and absolutely throwing herself at him. A snort of disdain escaped me and I leaped down from my perch to head on to the next target. 

We aren't visible to the human eye; just messengers for the goddess, Aphrodite. I haven't met the Lady of Love herself, but I've heard that her beauty could blind someone and they wouldn't be able to love anyone else. People usually think there’s just one Cupid, but in reality, there are numerous cupids that work every Valentine’s Day.

Pulling out the notebook from my breast pocket, I smiled when I looked at the list. The names that appeared on that list were those who hadn't been shot by a cupid to experience true love. Only one name left. I crossed out the name of the young woman from earlier with a red pen, brushing away the golden locks falling across my eyes in irritation as I returned the notebook back in its place. Now I only had to track this girl named Rose Minett. Shouldn't be too much of a problem since I've been at this game for years, though recently we got the upgrade of pistols. It was always the same on February fourteenth. Find some poor soul who couldn't confess, shoot their little crush, and suddenly they were madly in love. 

Heading down another path in the park, I kept my eyes peeled, taking a scene of children laughing and playing, their laughter so high-pitched that I wondered how their parents' ears were still intact. Another couple walked by, holding hands and swinging their arms between them. I guessed they probably were only recently married. Turning to the side, I checked my watch, pressing the side button as I did so. Another upgrade that kept track of the targets. A red heart blinked on the little map that appeared in the form of a small hologram. For a moment I again wondered why such a symbol came to represent the muscle that pumped blood through your veins and brought oxygen to your brain. 

Strolling in the general direction of the marked spot, I kept my gaze focused forwards, splashing through a fountain, stepping through a park bench, skirting a tree, and walking straight through a game of soccer. Automatically I tuned out the world as I was almost upon the red heart and suddenly I reached it. Looking around, I frowned, squinting in the sunlight. 

I walked farther than I thought. White stones were lined evenly across the ground and glancing back, I realized I had left the park and passed the gate that led to the cemetery. Odd place to go on a date, but I wasn't one to judge. I've seen stranger things. Pausing, I pulled out my pistol holstered underneath my arm inside my suit jacket. Wandering down one row of headstones, I came to a halt in surprise, taking in the person who could only be this Rose. 

Her hair was thin and fluffy, all white except there were still strands of dark grey that framed her face mapped with wrinkles. Her body was hunched over slightly as if she was carrying the world on her shoulders and her hands trembled slightly. Rose had that look about her, that softness around her mouth and crinkles in the corners of her eyes that read of much laughter and she might have been beautiful back in the day. Looking around, I couldn't see the other half to this woman, the one that she was supposed to fall in love with. Stepping closer, I had my gun raised in reflex aimed at the woman's heart as I came to stand behind her. 

Up close, I saw she was trembling not because of age, but from sobs as she wept, her eyes cloudy with age. My gaze followed her downcast eyes and I read the stone with mild interest. Jack Minett. Date of birth: May 3, 1923. Date of death: June 28, 1945. Husband of Rose Minett. Married 1 year. 

There was still the wedding ring on her finger and in her hands she clutched an old photo. Frowning over her shoulder, still unseen, I looked at the photograph taking in a young couple kneeling in the dirt, pulling weeds with concentration, surrounded by verdigris and other people chatting in the background. I paused, seeing the resemblance between the old Rose and the young one. 

Slowly, I lowered my gun, the metal losing its glimmer as a cloud passed across the sun. Only one year. I pulled out the notebook from my pocket and stared at the list, thinking of the couples I shot with magical bullets. Rose's name stared back at me and instead of reaching for my pen, I ripped the page and crumpled it into a ball. I let it drop to the ground as I walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just curious, if anyone reads this, is what gender do you think Danny is? When I wrote this, I always thought of Danny as male, but as I was editing, I realized that Danny could be any gender, so out of curiosity, I want to know what everyone thinks. Also, let me know if you want me to try to continue this. I feel like Danny still has more to do, but I just need a little boost to get me there.


End file.
